Horrible Night

Jessilee7 · #1 08/01/12, 11:08 AM

Spent ALLLLL night last night helping a neighbor attempt to pull a calf... what a nightmare. Noticed cow in labor and bubble showing between 10 and 10:30pm. This poor cow is a charlais cross and I honestly don't know exactly how it's possible but she is only 15mo old and was calving. She's small. Around 700lbs. Probably because pregnancy stunted her growth. Stayed back and watched her for a while, making sure not to disturb her. After 45 minutes of watching her push 2 front feet out, strain, strain, strain, then watching them go back in, then a few minutes later out they'd come again but that was as far as they would come. Decided it was time to help. She was in a probably 15 acre pasture, it is now pitch black dark, no smaller pen inside this pasture... Of course, she wasn't too keen on us offering our help. She'd get up, walk a ways, lay down, blah blah blah. Finally around 2:30, I was able to ease up to her and help. Calf was presented properly. I was almost sure it was already dead. I couldn't get the little guy to budge though. I haven't pulled a calf ever on my own.... you must be STRONG!!! They're so slippery. My hands were killing me and I couldn't do any good, so I went and got my husband. He came down. It is now 4:30 in the morning (POOOOOR COW!!!). He was able to pull it on his first attempt although he admitted it was not easy. We lost the calf, a PERFECT little angus bull calf. Neighbors were just happy we got it out and they didn't lose both right then although they know it is still a possibility with the cow after so much time struggling and needing such intervention. I told them they should probably give the cow a shot of antibiotics to help prevent uterine infections like we do with our goats when we have to help them out. (It is much easier to pull or rearange a stuck baby goat than a baby cow). What do you recommend giving her? So far, this morning, cow is doing okay. She would have been a great mom. I feel so badly for her that all this happened to her, and then, she doesn't even have a bouncing baby bull calf to show for it.
She was just too young and too small.
Has me nervous about upcoming births here.

mekasmom · #2 08/01/12, 11:16 AM

A vet? They can do those things. Your neighbor should have called for help around midnight or so if the cow was in such distress.

Jessilee7 · #3 08/01/12, 11:43 AM

I didn't post this for criticism. They are an elderly couple in their 70s and the wife sat on the phone from the time before she called me (around 10:20) until after 12:30 trying to get any vet to come out. Apparently, in some parts, good livestock vets - or even vets at all - are available. The people who have that don't seem to realize that in other places, like here, there is NO vet waiting by the phone at 10:00 at night waiting to rush out and help your cow. Here, there are 5 vets within a 20 mile radius. Even during normal business hours (9am-5pm), only ONE of them will do farm calls for cows. 2 of them won't see anything but dogs or cats. One will see horses but now cows. The other will see all livestock but you have to bring it to them during normal business hours which 10:00pm does not fall under.
Aside from that, a vet wouldn't have done anything different. There was nothing different to do. I can say that with a high level of certainty after working with the only GREAT vet I've ever known for several years before his retirement which was shortly before his death.

MO_cows · #4 08/01/12, 12:35 PM

Glad you saved the heifer. What a night! Good of you to help your neighbors.

7thswan · #5 08/01/12, 12:46 PM

Where we used to live there was no large animal Vet available. Farms were slowly being replaced with subdivisions. It's good to have things on hand to do the work yourselves. I've had to take my shirt off to use it around the calves ankles to pull when I had no help. Also Make sure to pull down towards the cows hoofs. They do make a cable type saw to cut a calf out if need be.Worst,we had to help a friend pull a calf with a back ho,both cow and calf died. We have an Angus bull now and no Herefords, and never have to pull calves. Can't let those cows get too fat during their last months(pregnant).

MDKatie · #6 08/01/12, 12:51 PM

If the calf was presented properly and you didn't have to go in and rearrange, you probably don't need to give her anything but supportive care (maybe some molasses in her water, and feed). She'll be alright. Glad she survived and y'all were there to help!

springvalley · #7 08/01/12, 01:07 PM

Those of us that have a good vet close by, take them for granted most of the time. And those that wish they had them, sure wish they had one. Good to hear you saved the cow, sometimes that is all you can do is your best. You are such good neighbors to be out taking care of their cow after dark, most neighbors could give a darn about neighbors cattle. I have pulled a good many calves over the years, some not so hard, and some very bad you never forget them. Good job, I give you a "Gold Star" of the day award. > Thanks and Blessings, > Marc

bruce2288 · #8 08/01/12, 01:09 PM

15 months and 700 lbs. It is lucky this cow is alive. Did you have some sort of calf puller or trying to pull it just with strength? I understand you have goats and I would not expect you to own one.

Bret · #9 08/01/12, 01:09 PM

What kind of person would spend all night helpig a neighbor do anything. Good work. Glad you all survived too.

scholtefamily · #10 08/01/12, 01:19 PM

Sorry to hear about the calf.......it's a bummer when you do all you can but you still lose one. Glad the cow is okay. You're a good neighbor.

Jessilee7 · #11 08/01/12, 02:03 PM

7thswan- It's funny you mention taking off your shirt to get a little better grip on those slippery little feet. I was actually contemplating doing the same thing last night. Decided against it when I saw what shirt I was wearing though.
Springvalley- This was my first time being the only one working on a stuck calf. I was amazed at just how hard it was. Usually I am the one to reposition them and that can be pretty hard too. I've never had to pull any baby of any species that was apparently as stuck as that little guy. Other than me not being strong enough and just the number of hours it went on for, it wasn't THAT bad over all. I'm sure you and many others have encountered much worse.
Bruce - No calf puller, just trying to use strength. I had fought it for so long trying to grip that little guys ankles that an hour after it was out, I went to open a soda and didn't even have the hand strength left to open it. I have a lot of respect for older ranchers/farmers. I know that if we ever get into something we need help with, chances are the neighbor man won't be able to be hands on help, but I am sure he could be helpful in telling us what to do.
I agree, it is amazing the cow survived. That young, that small, she probably shouldn't have. Good thing he has one of the nicest LWB angus I've seen or it could have been a lot worse. The calf was small but so perfect. Hubby guessed him to weigh between 40-45lbs. Did I mention he was little?

myersfarm · #12 08/01/12, 02:12 PM

Thanks for sharing

LittleRedHen · #13 08/01/12, 03:35 PM

aww poor heifer

unregistered41671 · #14 08/01/12, 03:40 PM

A good quality calf puller is a good investment.

You may not use it much, but when you do, it is worth every penny.

ramiller5675 · #15 08/01/12, 04:14 PM

At a minimum, get a OB chain and handle to carry in the truck or leave in the barn.

OB Chains | PBS Animal Health

With the OB chains, you can get a good grip on the calf's legs and the leverage when you are pulling is a little easier to manage. A good puller and some sort of pen with a chute would be even better.

By coincidence, I had a 17 month old heifer calve a couple of weeks ago, as soon as I saw feet I got her into the chute and pulled the calf. So far the calf is still alive, but he is alot smaller than a normal calf.

opportunity · #16 08/01/12, 04:45 PM

We had two young heifers like that this year in town a 15 month old and a 16 month old. Mine was the younger one and she managed all by herself but the other one the guy across the street had to help and then the dang mom didn't have milk so he has to suplement the calf. These things happen with cows we pulled three last year and lost a cow. Year before we also had two that went bad lost a calf it seems to be about 5-10% present with a problem when you only run a few you aren't there to see it like they are on the big ranchs. Glad you saved the momma

Jessilee7 · #17 08/01/12, 05:44 PM

I would have given anything to have had a chute last night, or even a couple of panels, heck, even a smaller pen.
I honestly didn't know exactly how to go about getting close enough to her. Since I didn't figure I could wrestle her to the ground by myself let alone do that and get the calf out, and there was no smaller pen to move her to since she was in the smallest pasture, the only thing I knew to try was walking as close as I could to her, easing closer and closer. Took hours but she finally let me get close enough to get that first attempt in and when I did that, I think it must have clicked in her head I was trying to help because after that, she stayed right near me and would turn her backend to me everytime she would contract. I tried and tried but could not get him to move. I don't know if that was the best or if we should have tried to get her loaded somehow or moved so that we could use our corrals or what?? Not fun being out in the middle of a pasture at dark with a nervous, struggling cow, alone, knowing what you want to do but not knowing exactly how to make it happen. Never again. I think we would have been better off doing whatever necessary to get her where ever we had to to get a handle on that calf long before we did. Had that happened, he may have made it. Live and learn I suppose. Definately not like the movies where the cow in trouble is patiently laying there on the ground while two or three people work on her backside (no one on her holding her down) until the calf pops out and gets a cute name.

MARYDVM · #18 08/01/12, 08:29 PM

It's really hard to apply enough extracting force if you're trying to grip the feet with your hands. If you don't have calving chains and handles, you can loop a bale string around each pastern. Then tie another loop at the other ends of the strings and use a rake handle, a couple dowels, or any strong piece of wood through the loops as handles to pull back on.

springvalley · #19 08/01/12, 08:31 PM

When I go looking for a cow thats having a calf, I always grab a pair of gloves and a couple twine strings off a bale of hay. I do have a puller, but have not used it in years. The gloves come in handy for the twine, because it can be sharp on the hands. The twine I double two strings and make a loop in each end of it and slip over the calves feet. I also go above the pastern or the second knuckle so I don`t pull on the pastern, you can break the leg or damage it very badly if you pull there. And I only pull when the cow strains, and in a downward motion toward her feet. And when you get the calf out, I always stick a piece of straw,hay or grass up it`s nostrils to get the calf to sneeze and snort so it takes that first breath. There are a lot of tricks to the trade for us old timers, and we love to learn just like the new people do. > Thanks and Blessings > Marc

Jessilee7 · #20 08/01/12, 09:55 PM

So after contemplating last nights events and talking to some local old timers, it has been advised that we should have tackled her or jumped on her when she laid down at the first sign of trouble. I couldn't have done that by myself but would have had hubby out there if id known that's what was needed. Do you all agree?
secondly, im pretty certain she passed the afterbirth but it was dark last night. This evening she is still holding her tail up. I only watched her for about 15 min but i didn't see any straining or contractions. Is she just sore?